EC bars political parties from registering voters under guise of surveys

Election Commission warns political parties against seeking voter details under guise of surveys for benefit schemes. Such activities are considered a corrupt practice and could induce voting in a particular way. The commission has issued an advisory to stop such activities immediately.

The Election Commission Thursday said it has taken a ''serious view'' of political parties and candidates seeking details of voters under the guise of various surveys for their proposed beneficiary schemes as it amounts to a corrupt practice under election law.

The poll authority noted that some political parties and candidates have been engaging in activities that blur the lines between legitimate surveys and partisan efforts to register individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes.

The Election Commission issued an advisory to all national and state political parties to immediately cease and desist from any activities that involve registering people for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes through any advertisement, survey or mobile application.

It said the act of inviting or calling upon individual electors to register for post-election benefits may create an impression of the requirement of one-to-one transactional relationship between the elector and the proposed benefit, and has the potential to generate a quid pro quo arrangement for voting in a particular way, thereby leading to inducement.

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